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Tuesday, August 26, 2014

To Call or Not to Call, That is the Question

In a world of text messaging and email, we have all become
accustomed to an immediate solution for almost any problem. As a service to clients, most management
companies offer a 24/7 emergency number so that homeowners can alert us to
situations that threaten life and property – after all, disasters do not keep
normal business hours.

As managers, almost all of us have received a call that is a
true emergency, not the metaphorical fires we often speak of, but actual fires
that cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. We receive calls on a
weekly basis from communities (most likely condominiums) where a pipe has burst
and is flooding multiple units in the building. Other emergencies include gas
leaks, water service disruption or electrical outages. Under any of these
circumstances, it’s almost always a homeowner or board member that alerts the
on-call manager, so that immediate action can be taken to prevent further
damage or begin repairs. When contemplating
calling your management company to report an emergency – ask yourself the
following questions:

Does this threaten life or property? Meaning, if
left unattended will this cause property damage or hurt someone?

Should I call 911? In the event of a fire or
personal injury ALWAYS call 911 first.

Although many emergency calls are actual emergencies,
management companies receive dozens of calls that are in fact NOT emergencies. Some
calls are because something is important to the homeowner and the situation is
causing some sort of inconvenience.
While we understand the frustration, emergency managers do not address the
following situations (we regularly received calls for these items):

My amenity access card isn’t working

Someone towed my car, but I don’t know who

Sunday is the 10th and I can’t log in
to the website to pay my assessments

My ceiling fan isn’t working

An Electrical outlet in the clubhouse is not working
and I have a party tonight

The front gate is stuck in the open position

While it may seem as though some of these situations could
be easily resolved with a call to a vendor, it’s important to remember that
weekend and evening service from plumbers and electricians often cost 50-75%
more than normal business hours rates.
In order to protect your community from unnecessary expenses (and
possible assessment increases as a result), emergency managers may direct you
to contact the office on the next business day.